The Wizards took two steps toward establishing some stability with their youthful frontcourt on Friday by reaching a contract extension with forward Andray Blatche and exercising the fourth-year option on center JaVale McGee.

I'm still going for more. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

According to two league sources with knowledge of the situation, Blatche agreed to an extension that that will pay him an additional $28 million, plus bonuses, and keep him with the team through the 2014-15 season. Blatche had two seasons left on his deal and could've become an unrestricted free agent in 2012, but the Wizards didn't want to take the risk of letting him go on the open market with the possibility of lockout looming after this season, one source said.

Blatche, 24, is coming off a season in which he averaged career highs of 14.1 points and 6.3 rebounds. After the Wizards dealt away Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood at the trade deadline, Blatche's production increased to 22.1 points on 48.5 percent shooting, with 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals over the final 32 games. He will enter his sixth season after coming into the league as the 49th pick in the 2005 NBA draft.

The 6-foot-11 Blatche, who signed a five-year deal worth $12.5 million in the summer of 2007, was slated to earn $3.26 million this season and $3.52 million next season. But the deal is structured in a complicated manner that allows the Wizards to give Blatche a salary boost in 2010-11 and 2011-12, using some of their available salary cap space.

The Wizards utilized a seldom-used clause in the collective bargaining agreement that allows teams below the salary cap to restructure existing deals. The Wizards are about $6 million under the cap and gave some good chunks of that money to Blatche, while providing salary cap flexibility through 2015. So, this basically works out to a five-year contract with Blatche expected to earn $35 million between now and the end of this deal.

The Wizards also picked up final year of McGee's rookie deal, worth $2.4 million. The 7-1 McGee averaged 6.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks last season. McGee's production also increased after the all-star break, as he averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the final 32 games. The 18th pick of the 2008 NBA draft, McGee has participated with USA Basketball for the past two summers and was one of the final three cuts for the 12-man roster for the world championships in Turkey.

"Andray and JaVale are two pieces that we feel can solidify our frontcourt for years to come and extending their contracts certainly fits in with our long-term plan of rebuilding this team with a core of young, talented players," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement released by the Wizards. "Both players performed very well over the second half of last season and we're confident that they will continue to develop and build on the potential and promise that they have shown throughout the beginning stages of their careers."

Again, Ernest shows that he is easily two-three steps ahead of the competition (namely, agents and other GMs). Under Leonsis he no longer has to fight with one arm tied behind his back and that is a definite plus for the Wizards Faithful.

@closg,

I've mentally upgraded you to the status of a semi-hater who manages to hit the right notes on occasion (your 3:15 post) but still can't reliably find the beat (your 3:16 post). On paper, however, nothing has changed! ;-)

some people are never happy. Sad, the fan base is so negative in this area. This kid goes 32 games at an allstar level and the only thing prople around here can say is It's a fluke, he will never reach his potenial. What the hell do players in this town have to do to get the fans respect. He has shown he is ready and deserves the opportunity to be one of the focal points of this team. No wonder players don't want to come to this town. I would bet everything if we win a championship half the fan base will find some way to complain. Gil does one little thing and the fans want him banished to Hell. Cause God knows all of you are so perfect in your lives. This is the best move we have made all offseason next to getting John Wall.

Smart move, AB is coming into his own and in time this will prove to be a true bargain, and may even have bought the team some plus points to other players. Men take longer to mature, so AB took a bit yes but looking at the last 1/2 of the season was no mirage, if he stays healthy, with John Wall on the point his production will go up. Build with these guys Ted and you will be rewarded, we are getting closer to my Father's Bullets every day. And all the naysayers, will soon be disappearing from this site my guess by the start of the new year.Well unless Gil doesn't come back like the old Gil then they will have a new kitten to torure.

$30mill is an exceedingly good contract, nice work EG, striking while AB is feeling uncertain with a broken foot and lockout looming. Just like after the hooker incident.

Posted by: divi3 | September 24, 2010 4:28 PM

funny.

i'm surprised at the numbers he agreed to and think he could have earned much more in the open market if he showed that last year was no fluke. i guess security now means more than a potential shakedown later.

We should have sold Blatche while his stock was high. He will never produce what he did towards the end of last season for a full year and he is a head case. We could have fleeced somebody for a few picks for the fool's gold.

It was a little of both. Blatche wasn't free for what another 2-3 years? So if he doesn't produce he makes a little more money. If he does...he made some more money earlier than he would hit the open market, without risking injury, lower production.

If he had KD's attributes, he wouldn't be signing a 5-yr, $30-mil contract. The price was right and it's likely he will perform better than your average $6-mil/yr PF.

Posted by: ArmChairQB | September 24, 2010 4:06 PM

All that means is that you're cool with a talented dude being mediocre.

This ain't about money, it's about character and drive to be the best. He lacks that.

@wizravterp I'm not about to give this cat a pass cause he MIGHT turn out to be a player. This dude has done little to show he's ever gonna be 'that dude'. This kid got top 20 talent but 2nd round heart/smarts. They paid for upside, for 'flashes' of talent...they paid for Hope.

Ain't no way with his talent he should have been picked 2nd round 49th pick.

This kid gonna be another JR Rider cause he THINKS he's the shytt instead of SHOWING it.

Shoulda traded him before other folks caught wind of his shortcomings.

Who cares? The choices arent 'franchise player' or 'bum.' At $6mill/yr there's really nothing to complain about. Nobody is looking to him to lead the franchise to a Championship. They are expecting him to be a solid, starting PF in the nba, something it's pretty obvious he can do.

And with a little luck, he'll be a lot better than "solid" but still only cost $6mill/yr

The beauty of being a blogger on the subject of sports is you can act like you know what you are talking about all the time, be wrong and never have to be accountable when you are wrong. No one remembers or cares what you said a year ago. So when blatche does good you can pretend as if you never called him out. If we traded him and he ended up a star on another team you can then criticize the organization for letting a young player go and become a star someplace else. When you are a blogger your never wrong and even when you are no one cares.

Why arent you the GM of the Wizards? I am sure you are smarter than EG. I read your blogs and you know everything. Tell us, what would you do with AB? Please excuse any misspelled words. I dont give a shitttttt.

At his career averages, this deal is on point. If Blatche improves even a little, this deal is an egregious steal. If he plays to his potential, he could end up being the most underpaid player in the game.

Anybody comparing Andray Blatche to Etan Thomas should be disregarded from here on out. You might as well compare John Wall to Juan Dixon.

"Saunders said he pulled Blatche initially to discuss the player not getting back on defense but that Blatche refused to listen to the coaching staff."

There were two sides to that story. Were you on the bench to know what really happened?

My point is that it's too early to draw conclusions on Blatche. Don't let me stop you from believing you know everything, but giving up on talented 24 YO players doesn't strike me as wise for a rebuilding team.

Everyone in the NBA is overpaid, but Blatche seems to have gotten a fair market value contract. He put up some nice numbers late in the season, but let's face it, the Wizards were out of the playoffs by about Christmas. None of the games that he scored in meant anything. Let's see what he does when the games matter.

Big mistake. He may have the talent, he may be able to exercise his talent, but I am not convinced he has the maturity or ever will have the maturity to hold an integral role in a WINNING starting line-up...especially now that he is the 4th best starter after Wall, Arenas, and Howard.

I hope I'm wrong, I really do...but this guy has more negative as a lazy brat than he has positive as a PF that can score.

It's a smart move all the way around. Anyone who doesn't see that is stupid, and I use that word advisedly. Unless Blatche is hurt, his value is going to increase over the next five years. But it's also a signal to Blatche that he's wanted by this franchise, despite the constant whining from the prudes who can't abide his immaturity. I believe he will respond like a man -- a young man, yeah, but a very talented, capable young man. Ernie is pushing all the right buttons now. I'm excited to see how the baby flies.

Hey LarryinClinton, I hear we just traded Wall & Arenas for Haywood. Are you happy now, jeez.
Haywood hated Washington, give it a break. I like him enough, he was just fed up here! Money would not have made him a better player or make him forget past problems.

Horrible move. Blatche is no Kevin Durant therefore he's not worth it. Paying a non-Durant for the next five years is as bad as paying Etan. Remember when Etan averaged 22 & 8 as a #1 option. See what paying him got us? This is worse than overpaying Blatche the 1st time! We need a guy like Durant or Duncan. Not some lazy bum who can't average 25 & 10!

how can anyone compare Blatche to Durant? you should have your hoops card revoked!!! Totaly different players and positions. And Etan avg 22-8. Not even for 2 games did he do this. 2nd best joke ever Etan 22-8 hahaha lol gosh good one. And the 3rd best joke was Durant and Duncan avg 25-10. Durant has never done this and Duncan only once. Not to mention this is another one were theese guys are totally different. And for the record no one in the nba last year avg 25-10.

Obviously, Blatche game have improved and if I am correct in saying so he must have been working hard to make it better. If he was a lazy bum his game would have been for the worse instead of being better.

A player with Blatche skills do not have to camp down on the blocks and overpower people. His jumper is good enough where you have to come out and contest his shot and by doing that he has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket.

Of course, you want your PF to rebound and score in the post but the dude is a all around talent. At 6'11" and only 24 yrs. old he still has the potential to get better. The Wizards made a wise investment

AB hasn't had a full season as a starter to prove anything. I will judge him after this season. I'd like to see the final roster on Opening Night, then watch them play and REALLY see what we got to compete. It's potential at this point and potenial ain't won a d**n thing. Let's see how they defend, hustle, play smart hard-nosed ball and see how they watch each others backs when teams play them physical. Let's see how they respond when veteran refs call Wiz/Bullets fouls on them. Will they b* *ch & moan our earn refs repect and play though it. I'm excited about a Gil and Wall backcourt with KH coming off the bench. Potentiallly this team can go nine deep when healthy so everybody should be fresh.(barring injury)
I'm gonna sit back, watch, and enjoy.

AB hasn't had a full season as a starter to prove anything. I will judge him after this season. I'd like to see the final roster on Opening Night, then watch them play and REALLY see what we got to compete. It's potential at this point and potenial ain't won a d**n thing. Let's see how they defend, hustle, play smart hard-nosed ball and see how they watch each others backs when teams play them physical. Let's see how they respond when veteran refs call Wiz/Bullets fouls on them. Will they b* *ch & moan or earn refs repect and play though it. I'm excited about a Gil and Wall backcourt with KH coming off the bench. Potentiallly this team can go nine deep when healthy so everybody should be fresh.(barring injury)
I'm gonna sit back, watch, and enjoy.
Edited
PEACE & LOVE GO WIZARDS!!!!!

A half a season of playing time he didn't have before. Blatche was finally given the opportunity to let loose and he didn't disappoint. Confidence is everything to a athlete and when a young player is given the opportunity to measure his skills against the best and have success doing it no telling how far he can go.

3 more years at about $9 mill/yr. based on less than half a season of above average play? Very premature move. They basically threw away the stick and gave him all carrots.

Posted by: kalo_rama | September 25, 2010 4:42 AM

Ted's thinking is the opposite, this way AB is playing for the team and not for another contract. Now there wont be any "gots to gets mine" mentality from him (or Mcgee)- they are here and that's that. Hell, just look at the problems last season with BTH and CB (and maybe Foye and maybe Miller) playing for new deals...that lousy dynamic has been avoided.

Taking care of AB now on the cheap is a savvy move of the likes Abe would never have done.

Ole Ernie boy gonna wish the had probably gave Blatch about 8-10 mil a year.

Look at what Haywood just got. You have any problem thinking that Blatch isn't worth more than Haywood money?

LarryInClintonMD.

Posted by: LarryInClintonMD | September 24, 2010 9:46 PM

Umm, Larry?

Ernie is the general manager of the Wizards and part of his job description is getting as many good players as he can, as cheaply as he can. Since Blatche signed a contract for $6 mil/yr, as opposed to $10 mil/yr, I think it's safe to say that Ernie did his job. I can think of no scenario where a general manager wishes he had done poorly (i.e., given Blatche more money).

If anything, Blatche's contract makes Cuban look like a tool for overpaying Brendan.

I like these savvy moves!! Blatche is an excellent player with a great skill set. Some may disagree, but I really believe in Blatche and, assuming his foot is ok, he is going to have a break out year. All in all, this is smart and pretty low.

McGee has all the talent and is ready to take the next step, although obviously picking up the 4th year is not a long term deal.

funny how some of the same ones who were pumping OLDberto and Eminem are deriding management for trying to lock down a couple of our youngest and most talented players. AB and McGee could develop into one of the best frontlines in the L. Both have shown flashes, but now it's time for them (individually, not the team) to put it together. Hopefully the newfound support and security will kickstart these two.

Anyone lambasting this extension is a moron. 6 million a year? If you hate him you can trade him any time. You want to hold last year's disastrous season against him? Uhhh, what? He was the only thing to be optimistic about. Clearly Jamison was in this guy's head and once he was traded Blatche looked liberated out there. Last year was no mirage. He's a stud, who plays PF like a PF, can shoot, rebound, pass, handle the ball, and is capable defending. Care to name another PF whose 26 with that talent and those stats you can sign for 6 million? Birdman?

Please haters, stop skewing what the government would call "Best Value."

I think these are good moves for the team going forward,I have always liked Blatche even thru his immature spells.He was acting immature because he was immature!Last season he had to grow up after the trades and he did,he has a solid game and can score on anyone in the low post.Javele is another thing tho,I am a fan but he has to learn to not shoot everytime he gets the ball in his hands that p!!ses me off to no end,but again he's young and we have all been there and so I am willing to let him go through his growing pains and not complain so much about it like so many others on this site,I am really looking forward to this year and wish my team the best they are really going to surprise some people and maybe even themselves!!!

This is a bit of a gamble because the 2nd half of last season could have been a fluke. I think the other option of not extending his contract would have been a bigger mistake. 5 years at 6mil a year for a young power forward is something that is always going to have trade value for the team even if Blatche doesn't work out how we hope. Kwame is still getting traded around as a valuable asset despite him never being a valuable member of any NBA squad he's ever been on.

I'd hate to lose Blatche if he continues to build or even equal his production last year. I think this was a nice compromise between the team looking to pay a fair price and a player who proved his value last year looking for a raise.

Who ever is comparing K.D. and A.B. is whacked first off KD is a tall shooting gaurd who can not mix it up in the post...his pull up jumper is nasty, he has range, and can take you off the dribble... A.B. like Lamar Odom with a chance to be Kevin Garnett like if he gets nasty on DEFENSE with better offensive potential as far as versatility... KD is sick and Id love to have him in DC but with J-wall and him scoring n running the offense with Gil I think AB is a good fit who can score 15 pts. a game and get 9 rbs a game with being the 3rd option

We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.

User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.